Unexpected COVID-19 Opportunity: Applied Experience for the Nurse Educator Student.

BACKGROUND: Lack of experiential learning in nurse educator (NE) programs may result in students completing didactic coursework with limited or no opportunities to supervise nursing students in a clinical environment. During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, one organization transformed an educational challenge into an opportunity for NE students. METHOD: Programmatic evaluation, using a 10-item Likert scale evaluation tool, was used to obtain feedback from 15 NE students regarding their perceived value of an experiential learning activity. RESULTS: Aggregate mean evaluation scores ranged from 2.7 to 4.3. An aggregate mean of 4.3 was attributed by the NE students to the possibility of spending additional clinical hours providing oversight to nursing students participating in this process. CONCLUSION: Applied experiential learning may enhance the quality of NE students' educational experience, provide needed opportunity for developing critical expertise as a NE, and create a window of opportunity for future application of NE students' experiential learning. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(11):642-645.].

Building Capacity for Nursing and Midwifery Education Through an Asynchronous Online Course.

BACKGROUND: Global organizations urge toward transformative, lifelong learning for nurses and midwives. Throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, strengthening the quality of nursing and midwifery education is top priority. A regional partnership of World Health Organization Collaborating Centers aimed to develop a user-friendly, culturally relevant, and adaptable educational quality improvement intervention. METHOD: Following the five-step ADDIE process, experts analyzed objectives and needs, designed activities and assessments, and determined optimum delivery of course content. A self-directed, asynchronous online course was developed, in line with regional needs and mandates. Three sequential online educational modules for English-speaking and Spanish-speaking nurse and midwife educators focused on (a) principles of teaching and learning, (b) instructional strategies, and (c) methods to evaluate students and courses. Content and design were externally reviewed and culturally adapted. CONCLUSION: Upon completion of pilot testing and evaluation, final course versions in both languages are expected to become freely accessible. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(1):38-41.].

Barriers to Diabetes Self-Management Among Rural Individuals in the Workplace.

Higher rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are found in rural populations and barriers lessen the ability of these individuals to effectively manage diabetes. By lessening potential barriers to self-care management, health professionals, especially occupational health nurses, can assist individuals confidently manage T2DM. In this article, the authors provide an overview of diabetes self-management barriers for rural populations and implications for health professionals who assist individuals with T2DM in the workplace.

Overview of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is an increasingly prevalent disease in the United States and globally. Multiple pharmacologic therapies are typically required over time to achieve and maintain target blood glucose levels. When first-line oral medications such as metformin (Glucophage) are not effective in achieving desired glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists may be used. This article provides an overview of this class of agents and provides implications for home healthcare clinicians.

An Overview of Metformin and Implications in the Workplace.

Diabetes mellitus is expensive; one of the top 10 most costly health concerns for employers. Individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who achieve glycemic targets through healthy lifestyles and appropriate glucose-lowering agents lessen diabetes-related complications. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief review of a first-line agent used in treating T2DM, the biguanide metformin hydrochloride. Implications for health providers who assist employees who use metformin also are addressed.

Facilitators of diabetes self-management among rural individuals.

The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus has increased dramatically with a higher rate in rural populations. Diabetes self-management behaviors such as medication administration, blood glucose testing, and appropriate diet and exercise regimens must be implemented daily to increase chances of achieving therapeutic patient outcomes. Home healthcare clinicians are pivotal in assisting these individuals to be more self-confident and independent in managing their diabetes, achieving therapeutic goals, and addressing diabetes-related complications. This article will discuss facilitators of diabetes self-management in rural populations and implications for home healthcare clinicians.

Predictors of improvement following speed of processing training in middle-aged and older adults with HIV: a pilot study.

Speed of processing training has been shown to improve cognitive functioning in normal older adults. A recent study demonstrated that middle-aged and older adults with HIV also improved on a measure of speed of processing and a measure of everyday functioning after such training. The primary objective was to examine what predicts the speed of processing training gains observed in the previous study. Participants were administered an extensive battery of demographic, psychosocial, and neuropsychological measures at baseline. They were randomized either to the speed of processing training group (n = 22) or to a no-contact control group (n = 24). Participants received approximately 10 hours of computerized speed of processing training. Predictors of training gains on the Useful Field of View (UFOV) Test and the Timed Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (TIADL) Test were examined through correlational analyses. In general, those who performed worse on the UFOV and TIADL at baseline demonstrated significantly more training gains. Also, higher HIV viral load, poorer medication adherence, a higher number of years diagnosed with HIV, and lower baseline scores on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (an executive functioning measure) were correlated with better TIADL training gains. TIADL performance improved in those with higher HIV viral load, poorer medication adherence, and poor executive functioning. Speed of processing training may be a way to improve everyday functioning and therefore quality of life in more medically and cognitively vulnerable adults with HIV.

Changes in the treatment of inpatient hyperglycemia: what every nurse practitioner should know about the 2012 standards of care.

PURPOSE: To provide nurse practitioners (NPs) with a review of the 2012 Standards of Care for the management of hospitalized patients who are hyperglycemic. DATA SOURCES: The 2012 American Diabetes Association's (ADA) Standards of Care for the treatment of inpatient hyperglycemia and selected evidence-based articles. CONCLUSIONS: Because hyperglycemia occurs at alarming rates in the inpatient setting when hyperglycemia is not controlled, there is a great impact on acute and even chronic conditions. These complications will lead to increased healthcare costs. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: It is essential that NPs who care for hospitalized, hyperglycemic patients are aware of the 2012 ADA Standards of Care.

Beyond body image as a trait: the development and validation of the Body Image States Scale.

The need exists for a psychometrically sound measure of individuals' evaluative/affective body image states. In the present investigation with 174 college students, the six-item Body Image States Scale (BISS) was developed and found to be acceptably internally consistent and moderately stable. Evincing its convergent validity, the BISS was appropriately correlated with various trait measures of body image. It was sensitive to reactions in positive versus negative situational contexts. Sex differences reflected those expected from the literature. Construct validity was confirmed by an experiment on persons' differential reactivity to appearance-related information as a function of level of dysfunctional body-image investment. The BISS is a unique and much-needed measure with potential utility in both research and clinical work.